The World Ended For Us
by averagemuggle
Summary: Stanley and Mimi's lives after the screen goes blank.
1. I Won't Throw Up

If there was one thing Mimi had learned, it was that in a heartbeat, everything can change. In a heartbeat, she had found herself stranded in a farming town. In a heartbeat, everyone she had ever cared about was gone. And, in a heartbeat, she had fallen for the most unlikely person, Stanley. Yes life was full of surprises. And if she was so aware of that, then why did her throat drop to her stomach when one minute she had been complaining about emptying bedpans, and the next she had involuntarily splashed a bedpan of stale urine all over herself as a gurney burst through the doors and she found herself looking down at Stanley's bloodied figure.

Other gurneys followed. There was so much yelling, no one heard Mimi's screams as she rushed to find the gurney that had passed her, carrying Stanley. Pushing through the already-crowded hall, she searched desperately for a glimpse of the man she loved. In all the confusion, she almost walked right past him. She would have if she hadn't tripped and looked down only to come face to face with him. And time stopped, she just looked at his cut up face and blood-covered shirt.

"Are you going to help or not?"

Mimi's head snapped up. A nurse had grabbed Stanley's gurney and was motioning for her to grab the other end. Looking at him one last time, she grabbed the side of the gurney and let the nurse lead her.

"Where are we taking him?" Mimi asked, she felt like collapsing right there and bawling. But she trudged on, for Stanley's sake.

"He's probably the most critical one here, we're taking him straight to Kenchy," the nurse replied like he was just another patient. Mimi wanted to grab her by the shoulders and scream, "DON'T YOU REALIZE WHO THIS IS?!!" But the gurney came to an abrupt halt, and Mimi looked up to see they had wheeled Stanley into calmer, less crowded room, occupied only by Kenchy and a few nurses.

"What happened to this one?" Kenchy walked forward.

"Took a bullet to the shoulder, we won't know how close it is to his heart 'til we open him up," replied the nurse that had led Mimi into the room.

"You're going to cut him open?" Just the thought of it made her sick.

"Yep, well don't just stand there! Help us get him onto the bed!"

Mimi had been cowering in the corner. Too scared to get a good look at the damage. But at Kenchy's command, her feet floated to Stanley's side. A brief look at his scarlet shoulder was all it took to bring tears to her eyes. She immediately turn her head to focus on his good shoulder, she didn't want to see anything else.

"Alright, on three!"

Mimi quickly slid her hand under his shoulder.

"One! Two! Three!!!"

Together, they lifted him off the gurney and onto the operating bed. Stanley gave a quiet moan of pain. His eyes opened slightly. And he looked into hers, "M-Mimi?" he moaned.

"I-I'm here, Stanley," Her voice cracked as she took his hand and held it to her face.

"You wreak," he whined.

She smiled through her tears. A hand covered his mouth with an anesthetic mask and his eyes closed completely. His hand went limp on her face and she guided it to his side. A lantern was shoved in her face, she took it and held it above the blood-stained shoulder. She watched as hands holding scissors cut his flannel shirt off. Wasn't that his lucky one? It couldn't have been. She had told him not to wear it. No. She hated that shirt. She didn't care if it got splattered with blood. She had told him not to rely on it. But Stanley could be stubborn. He most likely had relied on the ugly flannel shirt.

Either way, the shirt was now a small lump on the floor. A scalpel rested on his shoulder. The gloved hand holding it pressed the edge of the scalpel onto his skin, and cut open Stanley's shoulder. She really, really wanted to throw up. But she had to be there. For Stanley.

The hours drove on. Mimi felt sick the whole time. And it took all her will power to stop herself from bolting out of the room. But, no matter how much it hurt, she stood beside him. She was strong for him. She didn't throw down the lantern and run screaming away when blood flowed from Stanley's open cut, or when a hand reached inside him and pulled out a tiny bullet, or when the same hand held a threaded needle and stitched his skin like it was a quilt.

But when the doctors around her pulled of their blood covered smocks and put down their lanterns, and she heard Kenchy utter the words "he'll pull through", Mimi dropped her lantern and ran to the nearest bathroom. Throwing open a stall door, she leaned over the toilet and vomited. She vomited for a good few minutes. When she finished, she walked out, rinsing her mouth, she stood straight up to rush to see Stanley again. But instead, the minute she even attempted to straighten her back, her shoulders crippled over and sobs spilled from her eyes.

The sound of a door slamming behind her caused her back the shoot straight up immediately.

"Mimi! I've been looking all over for you!" Jake looked tired and relieved.

"What is it?" it took all Mimi's strength to keep her voice from cracking.

"Uh…I don't know how to tell you this," Jake looked conflicted, "Stanley got shot in the shoulder a couple hours ago, I think he's still in surgery, but he wanted me to find you"

"I know, Jake. I was helping with his surgery," Mimi replied.

"Oh! Well is he going to be okay?" Jake looked relieved himself,

Mimi nodded, "The doctor thinks so"

"Well, that's great. I've, uh, gotta go find Emily," Jake ran out of the room.

Mimi took a moment to stare at her reflection. Her eyes were puffy, the urine in her hair had dried, and the imprints of drying tears left streaks down her face. She didn't care. She just wanted to be with Stanley.

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He was still sleeping when she found him. He was in a hospital gown and lying in one of the clinic's white beds. Sitting down next to him and taking his hand, she watched him, and waited for him to wake up.


	2. Graceful Sleeper

Stanley had been in the hospital for days. The nurse had said he needed to collect his strength. Mimi had agreed.

Days ago, he had drifted out of sleep to the smell of stale urine…and Mimi. Who, it had turned out was the smell. She had been beside him for hours, covered in pee, refusing to take a shower, just so she could be there when he woke up. He knew he wouldn't have wanted to wake up to anybody's face but hers, but he never wanted to see that reaction again. She had sobbed and thrown herself on top of him, crying out how much she loved him and how she couldn't live without him. Bonnie had come and cried right along with them…like a family. They would have been by his side the whole few days had he not demanded he go back to the farm, Mimi and Bonnie had reluctantly agreed to look after the farm if he looked after himself. Now, the last day was over, it was dark outside, Stanley knew he should have waited until the sun came up to return home, but he missed the farm, and Bonnie. And he couldn't stand another morning waking up to ugly hospital curtains instead of Mimi. The house came into view, the light in their bedroom was out, Mimi was asleep. He jumped out of the car and opened the door to the quiet house. The silent creak of the floorboards made Stanley jump, just like he had as a child, when he'd envied Bonnie for not having to hear them. The stairs weren't so loud. Groping his way through the dark hallway, he found Bonnie's bedroom door. It had become a habit to make sure she was alright ever since their parents couldn't anymore. She was fast asleep, and not in Sean's arms. Smiling and closing the door, he crossed the hall to his own room, where Mimi was.

Mimi wasn't a graceful sleeper. She had the covers pulled up to her neck, exposing nothing more than her beautiful face, which looked a little too peaceful. Her brows were furrowed, her nose scrunched up, and her mouth hung open, releasing loud snores every few minutes. But the light of the moon still glowed upon her face, making her freckled skin look luminous.

He walked close to her and leaned down to kiss her forehead and stroke the blanket that hid her arms. Slipping into bed beside her, his arms rested around her body beneath the covers. Kissing her forehead once more, he watched her sleep, until he fell asleep beside her, knowing that in the morning, he'd wake up to her beautiful face.

She was still asleep when he woke up, if only for a minute. She looked just the way she had the night before, mouth agape and everything. But her face was now lit up by the sun's bright yellow embrace, instead of the blue glow of the moon.

He just watched her sleep for the few minutes she remained sleeping. She shifted and opened her eyes before Stanley had a chance to stroke her face.

"Morning," she grunted before getting up and walking out of the room. Stanley rolled onto his back and watched her disappear through the doorway. The house was silent for a few moments before a quick yelp was heard from the hallway, followed by heavy footsteps. Mimi ran through the doorway, "YOU'RE HOME!" she screamed and jumped on him. Kissing him hard and holding him tight, she let him wrap his arms around her before jumping up and shooting him the death glare, "You jerk! Why didn't you wake me up when you came home!?"

Stanley couldn't help but laugh.

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Bonnie had screamed and hugged Stanley when she came downstairs to see him sitting at the breakfast table. She hugged him and told him how much she and Mimi had missed him. She was mid-sentence when Mimi ran out the bathroom door, quickly tapping Bonnie on the shoulder, "We're gonna be late for the hospital," she added a few hand gestures to the words she knew.

"Actually, Bonnie's not feeling good today. She's gonna stay home,"

"What?" Both Mimi and Bonnie blurted.

Stanley gently kicked his sister under the table and smiled at Mimi, "Yep, she's feeling like she's going to throw up" Stanley both said and signed.

Mimi raised an eyebrow, "Alright," she said, obviously confused. She kissed Stanley goodbye and walked out the door.

The moment the truck was out the driveway, Bonnie asked Stanley, "What was that about?"

Stanley smiled the whole time he signed to her, "I need to ask you something."

"Shoot," she signed back.

Stanley took a deep breathe before quickly answering her, "What would you think of me proposing to Mimi?"


End file.
